The Third Child
by Water Ferret
Summary: A short oneshot about my take on how Moro first found and adopted San. Minor violence. Please review.


**I normally try to leave movies with set plots alone...but I really felt like writing this little 'prequel'. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Moro, San, or any other characters relating to Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke is owned by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.**

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The Third Child

The she-wolf trotted through the heart of the forest, dragging her prey, a bull ox, beside her through the brush. It was late morning, and all the animals and spirits were awake, going about their lives without a care in the world. Humans did not wander into the forest at this time of day, and all the creatures thought that the thick foliage would protect them from unwelcome eyes.

All except the wolf, who kept her ears pricked and her intelligent green eyes scanning the forest. Moving with the elegant grace of a true predator, she was beautiful to look at. Her coat was not pure white, but rather the light color of cream, and she bore no markings. She was easily three times as large as the ox she dragged, and her powerful jaws were capable of crushing a human in two.

She was no ordinary wolf. She was Moro, a forest goddess, and also the leader of the Wolf Tribe, which now consisted only of herself and her two young sons. Her fur covered many ancient scars, telling stories of the many times she protected the forest from harm…and from her worst enemy.

Moro had stolen the ox hours earlier from a small mining village on the edge of a lake. She had selected a strong, large bull, one that was highly prized by the people and very useful in transporting goods from place to place. After killing it silently she then proceeded in defiling some of the shops and houses nearby. She would have gotten away unscathed if one of the men of the village hadn't heard the commotion and hurried out, rifle in hand. Now, dried blood caked around a wound on her front leg where the iron bullet had grazed her flesh. A fraction of an inch to the right and the bullet would have shattered her bones like glass.

Still, the wound wasn't deep and it didn't hinder her movement. Soon it would become just another scar, another story. She would proudly be carrying her prize while the villagers try to repair their broken town.

The god's wry smile disappeared at the thought of the village. The humans had traveled to the lake only months ago, moving from place to place in search of a new home. They might have left if it wasn't for the soil, which was not suitable for farming, but was rich with iron ore. It was there, on the edge of the water, that they set up camp and began clearing the forest around them. The foliage they tore down hadn't been much, but it was enough to make any forest guardian furious.

In fact, this had been the first time that Moro had gone into the village. Before she had just been observing, watching as they went about their lives. The humans had stopped tearing down trees, for there was plenty of iron in the banks of the lake. But Moro knew that the iron would soon be depleted, and then the real destruction of the forest would begin. She had attacked the village today partly for revenge, and partly to convince the humans that there were creatures here who wanted them gone.

Moro's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a rustling nearby. She listened intently could tell it was humans by the careless way they moved around, not bothering to step lightly in case something heard them. Pinpointing the direction the sound was coming from, she lay down the ox and started off at a steady trot. She was confident that her kill would still be there, untouched, when she came back. No scavenger would dare steal the prey of a goddess.

It turned out that she was right. Two humans, a man and a woman, were standing at the edge of the forest. The male was hacking diligently away at the base of a tree. Finally, with a long, cracking sound, the tree crashed to the earth with a deafening thud. The woman, holding a stone tool in one hand and a bundle of white blankets in the other, began digging at the roots. The man went on to the next tree and proceeded to cut into its body, clear sap leaking at every stroke.

Pure anger flared in Moro like a wildfire. This was more than the wolf could bear. Taking off at a full gallop, she cleared the distance between herself and the humans in an instant. She came upon them so quickly that it took the couple a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Once it registered though, they stood stock still. The sight of the great god, teeth bared and covered in blood, paralyzed them with fear, and they were rooted firmly to the spot.

Finally, the man blinked and grabbed his wife's shoulders, urging her to run. She hesitated, and then laid the white bundle at the wolf god's enormous paws. The couple ran as fast as they could without looking back.

Moro stopped snarling and lashed her tails in annoyance. She watched the humans grow smaller in the distance and decided that it was pointless to follow them; she had their scent, so she could easily kill them the next time they trespassed. She then turned her attention to the white bundle they had left behind. The humans were foolish if they thought a simple sacrifice could appease her rage…

With these thoughts in her head, she proceeded to investigate what the woman had left. Pushing away the folds of the blankets with her great muzzle, a lump of pink skin and matted brown hair appeared before her. Moro realized that her suspicions were right: The humans had left their child, their daughter, to the mercy of the wolf god. She narrowed her eyes at the apathy of the humans. Would she sacrifice her own pups like this? Moro did not have the answer to that question.

She looked at the baby, then at the forest, and then back again to the young life that was now her problem. Well, it didn't have to be her problem. She considered leaving the child there, reminding herself that the world was cruel and that infants died all the time. Looking back once more to the safety of the trees, she made her decision. With jaws that could crunch through bones, she picked up the bundle with the gentleness of a mother. Still not really knowing what she was doing or what effect her arbitrary decision would have in years to come, she retreated back into the forest's shade.

Life did not have to be cruel all the time.

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**Well, whatcha think? I know this isn't as good as it could be and I want it to be better. So please, feel free to critique as much as you like, just don't be too harsh.**


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